Parents Lament As Gunmen Kidnap 18 NYSC Members, Others On Owerri Road

•Parents Lament As Gunmen Kidnap 18 NYSC Members, Others On Owerri Road

Police confirm attack, commence coordinated search for missing victims

Parents of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have been left distraught after gunmen reportedly abducted 18 corps members and other travellers along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State.

The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in the South-east and South-south when the attackers intercepted two buses at about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday.

The Imo State Police Command confirmed the attack, saying it occurred near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.

According to the command, the buses were conveying prospective corps members and other passengers travelling to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State.

The police said 10 victims were rescued following the intervention of security personnel, while efforts were continuing to establish the exact number of people still in captivity.

Police Public Relations Officer, Okoye Henry, said the rescued victims were safe and receiving attention.

“The rescued victims are in safe hands and are being attended to. The exact number of persons abducted is being verified and will be made public once confirmed,” he said.

The reported abduction has triggered anxiety among families, particularly relatives of corps members travelling to Abia State for the mandatory three-week orientation programme.

One parent, whose daughter was among those travelling to the Abia camp, said the family received a distress message from her shortly after 6:00 a.m.

The parent said the daughter had been sharing her live location with members of the family through a WhatsApp group while travelling from Ibadan.

According to the parent, the daughter suddenly sent the word “kidnapper” to the family group, prompting relatives to call her phone immediately.

The calls initially went through, but she did not answer before the phone eventually became unreachable.

“She quickly typed ‘kidnapper’, and we tried to call immediately to see what happened. Since then, she has been offline,” the parent said while appealing for help.

The parent said the family later learnt that passengers and the driver of the bus had been taken away, while some passengers travelling in another vehicle reportedly escaped.

Sources said some of the affected corps members were from Oyo State and had departed Samonda, Ibadan, at about 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

They were reportedly heading to their orientation camp in Abia State and stopped over in Imo, where they spent the night before continuing their journey on Thursday morning.

An eyewitness account indicated that the gunmen intercepted the buses and forced the occupants, including the drivers, out of the vehicles before taking them away.

Other vehicles plying the route were also reportedly affected, although the identities and precise number of all those abducted remained unclear.

The police said its operatives, working with other security agencies, had commenced coordinated search and rescue operations backed by intelligence-led tracking of the suspects.

The Commissioner of Police in Imo State and other Service Commanders visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment and gave operational directives.

“The Commissioner of Police, alongside other Service Commanders, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment and to give operational direction. He assured the public that the Command will sustain the operation until all victims are safely recovered and the suspects are brought to justice,” the command said.

The command also said it was working with NYSC authorities to contact the families of affected corps members and provide updates as the rescue operation progresses.

The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of prospective corps members who travel long distances by road to their orientation camps.

It also comes weeks after another highway attack in Kogi State in which corps members were among travellers abducted by gunmen.

The Kogi attack occurred on August 26 around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria-Onicha-Igo junction, along the Aloma-Egane Expressway.

Police later said 11 people, including corps members, were rescued following a joint security operation.

For the families affected by the latest incident in Imo, the immediate concern remains the safe return of their loved ones as security agencies continue their search.